The Ricky Gervais Show takes some radio podcasts recorded by comedians Gervais, Stephen Merchant, and Karl Pilkington and gives them an animated twist. The crux of the show focuses on Gervais and Merchant crudely and very rudely ridiculing Pilkington, oh-so fondly called 'the round-headed baffoon.' The former two take Pilkington's Homer Simpson-like oddball and almost naive curiosity and poke fun at it, whether it's about the biggest crises around the world, or Pilkington's day to day findings.
If you don't take Merchant and Gervais' cruel mockery of Pilkington to heart, then the show is incredibly serious. It seems as though Pilkington is almost in on the joke, but as he's somewhat clueless and rarely responds when the pair actually do - very obviously - poke fun at him; it's almost as though you're with the two as they make fun. It's a bit mean, because Pilkington seems almost childlike in the way that comments said at and about him go way over his head, but as he's an adult, and given his reactions, both verbal and physical, it's frankly hysterical.
There are couple of segments featured in the later episodes of season one, including Merchant reading excerpts from Pilkington's diary. Rather than just hearing the trio talking and joking with one another, when anecdotes are delivered, they are animated. Want to hear Pilkington's weird stories about his childhood? You can, but it's animated in such an adorable and hilarious way that it adds to the humor. The cartoonish nature of the series almost points out funny bits you wouldn't have picked up had you just been listening to the audio, and that's where the animation flourishes.
A second recurring segment is 'Monkey News', which at times can be a bit tedious. While the build-up is great, you know that it's clearly going to end with a monkey being found in a rather odd situation, but when that punchline finally arrives, it's usually a bit of a disappointment. Overall, the best way to enjoy The Ricky Gervais Show is to be in on the joke, not to take Merchant and Gervais' bullying too seriously, and to laugh at the stories.
The Ricky Gervais Show, season one, is out now on DVD on
Amazon.com and
Amazon.co.uk.